Audi sells record 1.57 million cars in 2013

Ingolstadt, January 9, 2014: Audi AG has notched a new all-time record. In 2013, it sold around 1,575,500 automobiles worldwide, 8.3 percent more than in 2012. The premium manufacturer’s sales thus increased by more than 100,000 units for the fourth consecutive year. Major growth drivers over the past year were Audi’s three biggest export markets, all of which reported double-digit growth: China (up 21.2 percent), the US (up 13.5 percent), and the UK (up 14.9 percent). In Europe and China, Audi again led the premium segment in 2013 as the top-selling brand. Audi concluded the year with a 18.4 percent growth to around 130,700 global deliveries in December, increasing sales in all regions of the world compared to the same month of 2012.

“We set an important milestone for Audi in the past year: We achieved our intermediate strategic goal of 1.5 million deliveries two years earlier than planned, and in fact comfortably exceeded it,” said Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Board of Management at Audi AG: “This means that in the past four years alone, Audi has attracted more than 600,000 new customers.”

In 2013, growth was accelerated by the success of the new A3 generation. The model line’s sales total climbed 18.6 percent to around 202,300 deliveries. The saloon, the latest addition to the A3 stable, went on sale in its first markets in September. In China and the US, the new generation A3 will be launched from mid-2014. The Q3, Q5 and Q7 SUV models also posted a strong increase in deliveries last year, with the Q5 again outselling its premium competitors. In total, Audi’s SUV sales grew by 23.8 percent to around 438,400 units.

In the US, Audi’s sales increased last year across all models by 13.5 percent to 158,061 units. Strongest growth was achieved by the Q5, up 40.8 percent, and the Q7 full-size SUV, sales of which grew by 45.1 percent. This year, the Q3 will join the SUV.

In Europe, the carmaker sold around 732,300 automobiles in 2013 (-0.9 percent). In the negative market environment in Germany, deliveries for 2013 also remained below the all-time record registered in the previous year: Audi AG delivered 250,025 automobiles to customers in its home market, 5.0 percent less than 2012. Substantial growth however was reported by Russia which advanced to become the company’s seventh-largest sales market with 36,150 units (+7.9 percent) delivered. In the UK, 142,039 cars were sold, representing a growth of 14.9 percent and making Audi the top-selling premium brand there for the first time in 2013, having doubled its sales in that market within a period of 10 years. In 2003, the sales total for Audi UK was 70,107 automobiles.

In China, Audi beat its annual target of selling more than 450,000 automobiles. It sold 491,989 cars in 2013, 21.2 percent more than in 2012. This growth was strengthened by the launch of the locally-built Q3 in April which sold 42,501 units. Along with the Q5, the two most popular saloon models (A4 L and A6 L) also achieved double-digit growth: A4 L sales grew by 20.0 percent to 120,450 units and those of the A6 L by 15.3 percent to 153,163.

In other Asia-Pacific markets, Audi saw positive performance for the calendar year. In Japan, the company sold 28,735 cars, 20.1 percent more than in 2012. Growth in South Korea reached 32.7 percent, with 20,031 new cars sold. Despite the difficult market conditions in India, Audi India sold 10,002 cars (+11.1 percent), becoming the first premium brand to cross the threshold of 10,000 deliveries. Japan, South Korea and India are consequently three of more than 40 markets in which the carmaker set a new sales record in 2013.